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There’s a specific point in electronic music where over-engineering strips away the magic. “We try to stop before the soul gets over-polished,” say X & Ivy.
It’s a philosophy that defines the Australian-American duo. Since 2016, they’ve operated where raw grit meets emotional weight, fusing early Chicago house and Detroit techno with the breakbeat energy and acid textures of the ’90s UK rave era. It’s club music built on contrast, split between X’s roots in Aussie pub rock and disco, and Ivy’s upbringing on soul, hardcore, and house. After meeting at USC, the two committed full-time in 2018, sharpening a sound that bridges intimate basement sessions with festival stages.
The underground quickly took notice. Early releases on Nervous Records and Big Trouble Records proved their club credentials, but it was “Keep Me”, their breakout collaboration with UKG legend Todd Edwards, that went global, earning heavy BBC Radio 1 airplay from Pete Tong and Danny Howard.
Now, X & Ivy are stepping into a massive new chapter. Having recently relocated to London for a total creative reset, the duo is releasing their debut EP on Life and Death, signed instantly by label boss DJ Tennis. Already road-tested by left-field selectors like Roza Terenzi and Jennifer Loveless at Let Them Eat Cake and Miscellania, the record is a genre-blending journey through house, techno, and garage that prioritizes feeling over perfection.
That unpredictable energy carries directly into their DJ sets. From a breakout Book Club Radio set surpassing 200K views to a guest mix for Peggy Gou’s Gudu imprint and opening for Gou at Berlin’s Home Again Festival, X & Ivy are rapidly moving from a tastemaker secret to a definitive dancefloor force.
Favourite track right now:
X: I Begin To Wonder (Club Mix) by J.C.A.
Ivy: Body by Introversion
About RADIO INTROE
RADIO INTROE is an ongoing mix series exploring sound, culture and creative expression through a global community of artists.